Haifa, Mount Carmel, and Cana

The day began with a tour of the Carmelite monastery on Mount Carmel. As crusaders, soldiers visited the area in the 12th century and had mystical experiences that inspired them to settle into a life of heremetical prayer. In the year 1190, their rule of prayer was accepted by the Latin Patriarch and they set up a cloister on Carmel, which means God's vineyard.

In the 13th century, the Muslims occupied the land and forced the Carmelite monks to leave the area. Hermits were likewise not well accepted in Europe so they changed from hermits to mendicants (beggars.) Simon Stock received approval from their Superior General so that they could canonically began beggars. The area is where Elijah the prophet worked various miracles. His cave is located in the basement of the shrine. It sits right on the Mediterranean Sea and overlooks beaches and a modern downtown city. We enjoyed a nice tour with Sister Esther, who is quite a bundle of righteous action and prayer, and then we had lunch at the Stella Maris restaurant after celebrating the Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary in commemoration of her presence in the area.

We visited the Baha'i Gardens at the Shrine of the Bab, who came from Iran to practice his religion. We then visited the place east of Mount Carmel where Elijah vanquished the 450 priests of Ba'al, who opposed the God of the Israelites.

We then headed back to Nazareth to a village called Cana, the site of the first miracle in the Gospel of John. In this place, Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding for wealthy friends. One notable aspect of the wedding is the length of the festivities as it takes three days for friends and relatives to travel from Jerusalem. They visit for a while before they return. Also, the poor in the community are often guests at weddings as the community's efforts of inclusion.

In a special service at Cana, married couples renewed their marital vows in the presence of other pilgrims. To further the celebration, we imbibed pomegranate wine at a local market and then shared some hookah tobacco.

After dealing with traditional traffic, we unpacked at the Golden Crown hotel and enjoyed a bountiful meal.

To see photos of Haifa, Mount Carmel, and Galilee, click on the link below:

1. Haifa and Mount Carmel

2. The Baha'i Gardens

            

3. Elijah's Slaying of the Ba'als

4. Feast of Cana

5. Hookah Bar